Crocuses 29 



most cases' is vitalized not by the pollen of 

 the flower in which it is formed, but by the 

 pollen from some other flower of the same species. 



And even those flowers which can make shift 

 to get along with home-made pollen achieve better 

 results with the imported article. 



Thus the pistil of the crocus will form larger 

 and stronger seeds if it can get pollen from a 

 sister blossom, or, better still, from another crocus 

 plant altogether. So the flowers wish to send the 

 yellow powder about, from one to another, for 

 their mutual benefit, and the bee behaves as if she 

 had been taken into their confidence. She has 

 flown out of our yellow crocus now, as dusty as 

 a miller, and has gone droning into another one, 

 which is growing on the opposite side of the garden 

 walk. As she reaches down into the bottom of 

 its chalice, for the sweets she hopes to find there, 

 some grains of the pollen she has brought in with 

 her will be rubbed off her velvet jacket onto the 

 waiting pistil. 



Crocus number two accepts this unintentional 

 donation with pleasure, pays for it with a drop of 

 nectar, and gives also a sprinkling of pollen from 

 her own stamens. The bee, carrying the powdered 

 gold which has just been bestowed upon her, flies 



